During what war did the Battle of Poltava take place. "Like a Swede near Poltava"

Kingdom of Russia Commanders Charles XII
Carl Gustav Rehnschild Peter I
Alexander Danilovich Menshikov Side forces General Forces :
26,000 Swedes (about 11,000 cavalry and 15,000 infantry), 1,000 Wallachian hussars, 41 guns, about 2,000 Cossacks

Total: about 37,000. 30 thousand Swedes, 6 thousand Cossacks, 1 thousand Vlachs.

Forces in battle:
8270 infantry, 7800 dragoons and reytars, 1000 hussars, 4 guns

Did not take part in the battle: Cossacks

General Forces :
about 37,000 infantry (87 battalions), 23,700 cavalry (27 regiments and 5 squadrons), 102 guns (according to other sources, 302 guns)

Total: about 60,000 (according to modern data, 80,000). of which 8 thousand Cossacks Skoropadsky.

Forces in battle:
25,000 infantry, 9,000 dragoons, Cossacks and Kalmyks, another 3,000 Kalmyks came to the end of the battle

Poltava garrison:
4200 infantry, 2000 Cossacks, 28 guns

Military casualties 6700-9234 killed and wounded,
2874 prisoners during the battle and 15-17 thousand at Perevolochna 1345 killed, 3290 wounded

Northern War (1700-1721)

Poltava battle- the largest battle of the Northern War between Russian troops under the command of Peter I and the Swedish army of Charles XII. It took place on the morning of June 27 (July 8), 1709, 6 versts from the city of Poltava on Russian lands (the Left Bank of the Dnieper). The decisive victory of the Russian army led to a turning point in the Great Northern War in favor of Russia and put an end to the dominance of Sweden as one of the leading military forces in Europe.

background

In October 1708, Peter I became aware of the betrayal and defection to the side of Charles XII, hetman Mazepa, who negotiated with the king for quite a long time, promising him, in case of arrival in Ukraine, up to 50 thousand Cossack troops, food and comfortable wintering. On October 28, 1708, Mazepa, at the head of a detachment of Cossacks, arrived at Karl's headquarters. After that, Peter I was amnestied and recalled from exile (accused of betrayal on the slander of Mazepa) Ukrainian colonel Semyon Paly (real name Gurko); thus the king enlisted the support of the Cossacks.

Of the many thousands of Ukrainian Cossacks (registered Cossacks, there were 30 thousand, Zaporozhye Cossacks - 10-12 thousand), Mazepa managed to bring only about 10 thousand people, about 3 thousand registered Cossacks and about 7 thousand Cossacks. But even those soon began to scatter from the camp of the Swedish army. Such unreliable allies, of whom about 2 thousand remained, King Charles XII did not dare to use in battle, and therefore left them in the wagon train.

Charles XII, having received information about the imminent approach to the Russians of a large Kalmyk detachment, decided to attack Peter's army before the Kalmyks completely disrupted his communications (a defector from the Germans was allegedly sent to the Swedes. He said that Tsar Peter would not come today - tomorrow he would come to the rescue detachment of Kalmyk cavalry numbering 18 thousand sabers). Wounded during reconnaissance on June 17, the king handed over command to Field Marshal K. G. Renschild, who received 20 thousand soldiers at his disposal. About 10 thousand people, including Mazepa's Cossacks, remained in the camp near Poltava.

On the eve of the battle, Peter I traveled around all the regiments. His brief patriotic appeals to soldiers and officers formed the basis of the famous order, which required the soldiers to fight not for Peter, but for "Russia and Russian piety ..."

Tried to raise the spirit of his army and Charles XII. Inspiring the soldiers, Karl announced that tomorrow they would dine in the Russian wagon train, where a lot of booty awaited them.

The course of the battle

Swedish attack on redoubts

According to Englund, two battalions of the Uppland Regiment suffered the greatest losses, which were surrounded and completely destroyed (14 out of 700 people survived).

Side losses

Church at the site of the battle

In the battle, the Swedes lost over 11 thousand soldiers. Russian losses were 1,345 killed and 3,290 wounded.

Results

As a result of the Battle of Poltava, the army of King Charles XII was so bloodless that it could no longer conduct active offensive operations. Menshikov, having received reinforcements of 3,000 Kalmyk cavalry by evening, pursued the enemy to Perevolochna on the banks of the Dnieper, where about 16,000 Swedes were taken prisoner.

During the Battle of Poltava, Peter used tactics that are still mentioned in military schools. Shortly before the battle, Peter dressed the experienced soldiers in the uniform of the young ones. Karl, knowing that the form of experienced fighters is different from the form of young ones, led his army to young fighters and fell into a trap.

Cards

event memory

Museum-Reserve "Field of the Battle of Poltava"

On the site of the battle at the beginning of the 20th century, the Poltava Battlefield Museum-Reserve was founded (now the National Museum-Reserve). A museum was built on its territory, monuments to Peter I, Russian and Swedish soldiers were erected, on the site of the camp of Peter I, etc.
In honor of the 25th anniversary of the Battle of Poltava (held on the day of St. Sampson the Hospitable) in 1735, a sculptural group "Samson Tearing the Mouth of a Lion" was installed in Peterhof, designed by Carlo Rastrelli. The lion was associated with Sweden, whose coat of arms contains this heraldic beast.
In honor of the Battle of Poltava, the Sampson Cathedral in St. Petersburg and the Sampson Church in Poltava were built.
To commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Poltava, the medal "In Commemoration of the 200th Anniversary of the Battle of Poltava" was instituted.

Monument at the resting place of Peter I after the battle
Monument to Colonel Kelin and the valiant defenders of Poltava.

On coins

In honor of the 300th anniversary of the Battle of Poltava, on June 1, the Bank of Russia issued the following commemorative silver coins (only reverses are shown):

In fiction

In the novel "Poltava Peremoga" by Oleg Kudrin (shortlist for the Nonconformism 2010 Prize, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Moscow), the event was "replayed" in the genre of alternative history.

In music

The Swedish heavy metal band Sabaton dedicated their song "Poltava" from the album Carolus Rex to the Battle of Poltava. The song was recorded in two versions: in English and Swedish.

Images

Documentary film

Art films

In philately

Notes

A. A. Vasiliev. On the composition of the Russian and Swedish armies in the battle of Poltava. Military history magazine. 1989. No. 7.]
see Krotov P. A. Battle of Poltava: on the 300th anniversary. St. Petersburg: Historical Illustration, 2009. 416 p.
All wars of world history, according to the Harper Encyclopedia of Military History by R. Dupuis and T. Dupuis with comments by N. Volkovsky and D. Volkovsky. St. Petersburg, 2004, book 3, p.499
The Day of Military Glory of Russia - The Day of Victory over the Swedes in the Battle of Poltava is celebrated not on the eighth, but on July 10. The date of the battle fell on the day of remembrance of St. Sampson the Stranger, who is rightfully considered the heavenly patron of the Battle of Poltava; in memory of which the Sampson Church near Poltava and the Sampson Cathedral in St. Petersburg were built. And the day of memory of Sampson the Stranger The Orthodox Church honors every year not on the 8th, but on July 10th.
There is no documentary evidence of the details of Mazepa's preliminary proposals to Karl. However, it is known that the negotiations were conducted for quite a long time. According to T. G. Tairova-Yakovleva in his book “Mazeppa”, which is replete with typos and inaccuracies, he opened his entourage on September 17, 1707. In her book, Tairova-Yakovlevna cites Mazepa’s statement, recorded by his faithful follower clerk Orlik: “I did not want and did not want Christian bloodshed, but I intended, having come to Baturin with the Swedish king, to write a letter of thanks for the protection of the Tsar’s Majesty, describing everything our grievances ... ". Thus, plans to bring Karl to Baturin existed. In addition, in an agreement signed later with Karl Mazepa, he undertakes to give him, in addition to other cities, Baturin (which has already been completely burned and is not suitable for these purposes) as a base for the duration of the war. Apparently, the agreement itself was prepared before the burning of Baturin.
Sergey Kulichkin. Peter the First. Historical portrait of the commander.
According to the research of P. A. Krotov, based on a comparison of archival documents, there were much more guns in the battle - 302 , see Krotov P. A. Battle of Poltava: on the 300th anniversary. SPb., 2009
All wars of world history, according to the Harper Encyclopedia of Military History by R. Dupuis and T. Dupuis with comments by N. Volkovsky and D. Volkovsky. St. Petersburg, 2004, book 3, pp. 499-500
Vitaly Slinko. Poltava battle. Orthodox news agency "Russian Line"
V. A. Artamonov Battle of Poltava and Eastern Europe -, Golden Lion Magazine No. 213-214 - edition of Russian conservative thought
Englund P. Poltava: A story about the death of one army. - M: New book review, 1995. - 288 with ISBN 5-86793-005-X
According to P. Englund, out of 8000 Swedish infantrymen, 2000 died during the assault on the redoubts, and about 2000 separated with Roos.
Vladimir Lapin Poltava // "Star". - 2009. - V. 6.

Literature

Krotov P. A. Battle of Poltava: on the 300th anniversary. - St. Petersburg: Historical illustration, 2009. - 416 p.
Krotov P. A. Peter I and Charles XII on the fields near Poltava (comparative analysis of military leadership) // Problems of war and peace in the era of the New and Modern Times (on the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Tilsit Treaty): Proceedings of the international scientific conference. St. Petersburg, December 2007 - St. Petersburg: SPbGU Publishing House, 2008. - P. 48-57.
Krotov P. A. Military leadership of Peter I and A. D. Menshikov in the Battle of Poltava (To the 300th anniversary of the Poltava victory) // Menshikov Readings - 2007 / Ed. ed. P. A. Krotov. - St. Petersburg: Historical illustration, 2007. - S. 37-92.
Moltusov V. A. Battle of Poltava: Lessons of military history. - M.: OR of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation; Kuchkovo field, 2009. - 512 p. ISBN 978-5-9950-0054-9
Poltava: To the 300th anniversary of the Poltava battle. Digest of articles. - M.: Kuchkovo field, 2009. - 400 p. ISBN 978-5-9950-0055-6
Pavlenko N. I., Artamonov V. A. June 27, 1709. - M .: Young Guard, 1989. - 272 p. - (Memorable dates of history). - 100,000 copies. - ISBN 5-235-00325-X(reg.)
Englund Peter. Poltava: The story of the death of one army = Englund P. Poltava. Berattelsen om en armés undergång. - Stockholm: Atlantis, 1989. - M .: New Book Review, 1995. - ISBN 5-86793-005-X

Links

Date of: June 27 (July 8), 1709.
Place: near Poltava, the territory of modern Ukraine.
Military conflict: .
Enemies: Sweden - Russian Empire.
Commanders: Charles XII - .
Outcome: victory of the Russian Empire.

Battle of Poltava: prehistory

The Battle of Poltava is rightfully considered one of the most important events in the history of our country. After many successful actions to capture Europe, King Charles XII of Sweden made it his goal to capture Russia and divide it into autonomous, smaller states. The goal seemed to be impossible. However, the forces of Charles's army significantly outnumbered the forces of most armies in Europe, including the Russian one.

But Peter I wisely took advantage of the time that was allotted after the Battle of Narva. The king carried out cardinal reforms of the army. New recruits were hired and trained, new talented military personnel were found, a system of military ranks was introduced, and much more. The Swedish king was not aware of such changes and believed that Peter's army was still inexperienced and poorly armed.

Charles XII had a force of 43 thousand people, while he also expected the promised support of the 50 thousandth army of Cossacks under the command of Hetman Mazepa. But before the decisive battle, the size of his army decreased significantly, because. the soldiers were crippled by numerous diseases and food shortages.

Battle of Poltava: the course of the battle

After the siege of Poltava, it was clear that a serious battle could not be avoided. On June 27, 1709, the famous Battle of Poltava took place. Prior to this, Russian troops built 10 fortifications - redoubts, which duly influenced the outcome of events.

On the morning of June 27, the Swedes launched an offensive. From the side of the enemy, 16 thousand people attacked the Russian troops, and the Russian army, which took part in the battle, at that time consisted of 32,000 people. Also, our army outnumbered the artillery. Four guns of the Swedes accounted for 32 defensive guns from our side.

Four columns of Swedish infantry and six columns of cavalry were met by an attack by a Russian dragoon under the command of Prince Menshikov. The fight broke out. Initially, the Swedish army oppressed our cavalry a little, but soon the Russian troops began to deliver one after another successful blows to the Swedish troops. The Swedes managed to capture two redoubts, but subsequent attempts were confidently suppressed.

It's time for the final showdown. At that time, the forces of the Russian army were significantly superior in battle, the Swedish army of 6,000 soldiers opposed 18 thousand and a large number of large guns. But the king managed to inspire the soldiers, and they launched a fierce attack. At some point, the Russian troops even had to retreat, the Swedes took possession of the banner of the Novgorod regiment, and a dangerous “hole” formed in the line of our infantry, but Peter I led the reserve battalion and went into battle himself. Our soldiers managed to defeat the Swedish troops. The news spread through their ranks that the king had died, unrest began among the Swedes, and under the pressure of the Russian troops, the enemy managed to be put to flight. Henchmen of Charles XII barely managed to take him out of the battlefield and hide him. Russia won a brilliant victory over the Swedish troops.

Battle of Poltava: results

This victory was of great historical significance. There was a radical change in the Northern War. The role of Russia in the world has been radically changed, because. the rest of the countries were now forced to reckon with it. And do not forget about the heroic actions of Russian soldiers and officers, who strengthened the spirit of the whole people as a whole.

After the Polish battles, the Swedish army was badly exhausted, and therefore retreated to Ukraine to replenish their strength. Peter I understood that the Swedes were a dangerous enemy. Therefore, everything was done so that the enemy did not get the necessary rest - on the route of the Swedish troops, all stocks of food and weapons were destroyed, ordinary people went into the forest, hiding food and livestock there.

Battle of Poltava briefly. The course of the battle.

Before the start of the battle.

In the autumn of 1708, the Swedes reached the suburbs of Poltava and, having settled down for a winter vacation in Budishchi, decided to take the city by storm. The superiority of forces was significant - the Swedish king Charles XII had thirty thousand soldiers at his disposal against the small Poltava garrison.

But the courage of the inhabitants of the city allowed them to hold out against the whole army for two months. Poltava was never surrendered to the Swedes.

Battle of Poltava. Preparing for battle.

While the Swedes were losing time and energy under the walls of Poltava, Peter I was preparing his troops for the most important battle. In early June, having crossed the Vorskla River, Russian soldiers settled down near Yakovtsy, five kilometers from the besieged city, in the rear of the Swedes.

Blocking the only way the Swedes could advance with several redoubts, behind them Peter placed 17 cavalry regiments of his friend and commander, Alexander Menshikov.

The Ukrainian hetman Skoropadsky, meanwhile, cut off the Swedes' path to Poland and Ukraine. Peter did not trust the hetman too much, but nevertheless used his strength.

Battle of Poltava with the Swedes. Battle.

The Battle of Poltava began on the morning of June 27, 1709. At first it might seem that the advantage is on the side of the Swedes - although they lost a lot of soldiers, they still managed to pass through two lines of fortifications. However, under artillery fire, they had no choice but to retreat into the forest and take a breather.

Taking advantage of the pause, Peter moved the main forces into position. And in the next "round" of the battle, the Swedes began to openly lose. The Novgorod regiment, brought into battle in time, brought confusion to the Swedish formation, and the Menshikov cavalry struck from the other side.

In this chaos, the Swedes could not stand it and fled. By 11 o'clock in the morning the battle was over. King Charles XII and his ally, the traitorous hetman Mazepa, managed to escape by crossing the Dnieper, but 15,000 Swedish soldiers and commanders were captured.

Significance and results of the Poltava battle.

After the battle given by Peter I to the Swedish king, this country ceased to be the most powerful military force in Europe. The Swedes lost a third of their troops killed and lost key commanders who were captured.

All participants in the Battle of Poltava became heroes from the hand of Peter, and the Northern War ended with the victory of Russia.

Poltava battle, perhaps, was the most significant event for the entire region and especially Russia in 1709, too many stakes were placed on the can and Peter the Great understood this, like the entire "Russian people" (Ukraine is not separate from Russia).

Intro and video
The initial period of the Northern War
The second period of the Russo-Swedish war
The state of the warring armies before the Battle of Poltava
Preparations for the Battle of Poltava, the plans of the warring parties.
The course of the battle of Poltava
Results of the Poltava battle
Results of the Northern War

Date and year of the Battle of Poltava- 1709th June 27 (July 8) at dawn, July 10 is the Day of military glory of Russia and is celebrated as the Day of the victory of the Russian powerful army under the control of Peter the Great over the Swedish troops in the Battle of Poltava

Sites: www.battle.poltava.ua a large collection of information about the war in all languages.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poltava_battle

Below is a film dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the Battle of Poltava:

Peter I made a lot of efforts to strengthen the military and economic power of Russia, therefore he intensively developed military and commercial shipbuilding. At the Arkhangelsk shipyard he laid down, 2- and 3-masted warships, frigates and shnyavs from 25 to 55 m long, with 10-90 guns were built. But Russia had no access to either the Azov and Black, or the Baltic Sea. At that time, the latter was called the Swedish Sea, completely controlled by this country.

Russian ships could freely go only to the White Sea, which was ice-bound for half a year, and the delivery of goods to it from the developed regions of Russia could only be carried out by horse-drawn transport. The exit to the Sea of Azov was blocked by the Crimean Tatars, the exits from the Black Sea were blocked by the Turkish fortresses of Ochakov and the Dardanelles, the coastal territories of the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea were captured by the Swedes at the beginning of the 17th century.

Peter I tried in 1697-1698. to create an alliance of Christian countries of Europe in the struggle against Turkey and the Crimean Tatars for the free use of the Azov and Black Seas, but the European states during this period were busy with internal strife in the struggle for the Spanish crown. The Russian tsar, deprived of potential allies, decided to focus his efforts on the return of the Baltic territories, because. The Baltic Sea provided more opportunities for the development of Russia's trade with European countries.

Reason for war with Sweden served as the refusal of the Swede, who was the governor of Riga, to allow the Russian Grand Embassy to inspect the fortifications of the city. The dominance of Sweden in the Baltic Sea did not suit, except for Russia, a number of European Baltic states, therefore, the Northern League was created consisting of Russia, Poland, Denmark and Saxony, the participants of which expected, as a result of victory in the war with Sweden, to return the coastal regions of the Gulf of Finland that belonged to them earlier and the Baltic Sea. Russia could not simultaneously wage war in the south and north, so on August 8, 1700, she signed a peace treaty with Turkey, and the next day declared war on Sweden.

The initial period of the Northern War

The Swedish king Charles XII, being very young, showed remarkable abilities from the first days of the war. Despite the fact that almost simultaneously Russia laid siege to Narva, Poland laid siege to Riga, and Denmark invaded Holstein, Charles XII chose a plan to deal with his opponents in turn and turn the Baltic Sea into an intra-Swedish reservoir.

The Swedish king brought 15 thousand of his soldiers into Denmark, with the help of England and Holland, he besieged the capital of the state and forced Denmark to withdraw from the war, concluding a peace treaty with it.

Having dealt with Denmark, Charles XII moved his troops to Narva, besieged by the troops of Peter I. Despite the fact that the 12,000th Swedish army was opposed by the 34,000th army of Peter I, including the cavalry detachment of Sheremetyev, foreign mercenaries, the guards regiments (Semenovsky and Preobrazhensky), the Veide division, the Swedes managed to first defeat the cavalry detachment, break through the positions of the Russians, as a result which the foreign legionnaires fled, then to suppress the stubborn resistance of the guards regiments and the Weide division.

The battle near Narva ended in a crushing defeat for the Russian troops, as a result of which the Swedes killed and captured 18 thousand people, almost 3 times larger than the enemy army, and captured more than a hundred artillery pieces.

The Russians were helped to avoid defeat in the Northern War by the fact that Charles XII did not develop his victory over the Russian troops, but moved to liberate Riga besieged by the Poles. King Augustus of Poland and Saxony, having received news of the concentration of Swedish troops against him, lifted the siege of Riga and fled to Courland. The Swedish king, continuing to crush the Polish-Saxon army, in 1701 occupied Courland and Lithuania, in 1702 entered Warsaw and Krakow, in 1703 defeated the newly organized Polish troops near Pultusk, and, finally, in 1704, forced the Polish parliament to transfer the throne to his protege S. Leshchinsky.

Peter I, having reorganized his army and taking advantage of the distraction of the Swedes for the war with Poland, gradually captured in 1702-1704. the Baltic territory belonging to the Swedes: Noteburg (Schlisselburg), Nienschanz, Narva, Derpt, founded the capital of Russia, St. Petersburg, on Swedish territory.

Deprived of the throne, Augustus did not stop resisting the Swedes, in 1705 Peter I sent a 40,000-strong army to Grodno to help him, but in 1706 the Swedes surrounded the Russian troops and, as a result of bloody battles, inflicted a second defeat on them in the Northern War. In the same year, Augustus was forced to admit defeat, and withdrew from the war. Charles XII occupied Poland and Saxony. As a result of the first stage of the Northern War, Russia remained his only opponent.

The second period of the Russo-Swedish war

In 1706, all the allies of Russia withdrew from the war, so Charles XII, who mobilized 115 thousand soldiers, decided to defeat Russia, for which two groups of troops under the command of Liebecker and Lewenhaupt were sent to St. Petersburg, and the third under the command of the king himself to Moscow .

In 1708, the Swedes occupied Grodno, Mogilev, crossed the river. Berezina and moved to Smolensk. The protege of Charles XII in Poland, S. Leshchinsky, threatened an attack on Little Russia, so Hetman Mazepa turned to Peter I for help, but the Russian tsar, worried about the danger hanging over St. Petersburg and Moscow, could not provide this help. The Russians offered stubborn resistance to the Swedish troops. Near the village of Lesnoy, Menshikov's cavalry corps, in a battle with Lewenhaupt's corps, destroyed half of its composition and captured a convoy with provisions. Later, the importance of the battle for the convoy Peter the 1st called this event " Mother of Poltava".

Charles XII was forced, instead of being sent to Moscow, to move to Little Russia, where he hoped to get help from Hetman Mazepa, Turkey and the Crimean Tatars. Hetman Mazepa's help was based on the fact that the hetman, who was refused assistance from Peter I and did not want the Swedes to invade Ukraine, threatened to become an ally of the Swedes, who promised to grant independence to Ukraine.

There were 40 thousand Cossacks in Ukraine (30 thousand registered and 10 thousand Zaporozhye). Peter I considered unacceptable the transfer of 40,000 well-trained troops to the side of the Swedes. To prevent this, Menshikov destroyed Baturin (the hetman's capital) and its population. Colonel S. Paliy, who was supported by many Cossacks, was amnestied. As a result, Mazepa initially managed to win over 3,000 registered and 7,000 Zaporizhzhya Cossacks to the side of the Swedes, but most of them immediately fled from the Swedes' camp. About 2 thousand Cossacks remained with Mazepa, whom Charles XII had little trust in and kept in the wagon train. The rest of the Cossacks joined the army of Peter I.

To connect the Swedes with the Turks and Crimean Tatars, Charles XII decided to storm Poltava.

The state of the warring armies before the Battle of Poltava

Peter I understood that the battle could decide the outcome of the Northern War, determine the winner in it.

The position of the Swedish army in Ukraine was quite difficult. Unjustified hopes for Mazepa's help, military failures, limited provisions and ammunition, the numerical superiority of the Russian troops were aggravated by the stubborn resistance of the population of Ukraine to the invaders.

In the army of the Swedes, together with the Cossacks of Hetman Mazepa who joined them, there were 35 thousand soldiers and 41 guns. This army had not only to storm the Poltava fortress, but also to defend the approaches to the fortress of the Russian troops from the river. Wisla.

The defense of the fortress was led by Colonel Kelin, the commandant of the garrison, consisting of 4.2 thousand soldiers and 29 guns. In addition, the fortress was defended by 2.6 thousand armed residents of Poltava and 2 thousand Cossacks, commanded by Colonel Levenets. From the outside, the garrison was supported by cavalry under the command of Menshikov. The siege of the fortress by the Swedes, begun in April 1709, continued until June, during which time the garrison of the fortress repelled two dozen assaults, as a result of which the losses of the Swedes exceeded 6 thousand people, and the supply of shells for the Swedish guns was almost used up.

The unsuccessful assaults on the Poltava fortress allowed Peter I to concentrate on the left (opposite from the fortress) bank of the river. Vorskla 49 thousand soldiers and 102 guns, equipped with shells and provisions. The overwhelming advantage of the Russian troops made it possible to decide on forcing the river. Vorskla and the beginning of the general battle with the Swedes near Poltava.

Preparations for the Battle of Poltava, the plans of the warring parties.

On June 16, 1709, a military council of the command of the Russian troops was held, at which a general battle plan was adopted. On the same day, R. Vorskla was forced by a detachment whose task was to ensure the crossing of all Russian units from the left bank of the river to the right. On June 20, 1709, this crossing was successfully completed.

A fortified camp was built near the village of Semyonovka, and 5 days later, near the village of Yakovtsy, near Poltava, the main fortified camp was built, including 10 transverse and longitudinal redoubts, trenches, ramparts, parapets, defensive structures. 16 guns were installed on the redoubts, their garrison included 4 thousand people. The interaction of the redoubts was ensured by their location at a distance of no more than a gun shot. In total, it was planned to use 25 thousand infantrymen, 9 thousand cavalrymen and Cossacks, 73 guns in the Battle of Poltava. The redoubt garrison was commanded by Colonel Aigustov, Lieutenant Colonels Nechaev and Neklyudov. The cavalry regiments located behind the redoubts were commanded by A. Menshikov. A large Kalmyk detachment moved to help the Russian troops.

The landscape in front of the Russian fortified area was favorable for combat. The flanks of the Russian troops were protected by forests, ravines and swamps, which prevented the attack of the cavalry. The only direction of advance of the Swedes was a narrow plain, in front of which the Russians had set up their fortified camp.

Before the general battle, Peter I sought to raise the morale of his troops, therefore he personally visited all parts, urging them to fight not for the tsar, but for the fatherland and piety. The plan of Peter I included wearing down the Swedes on the line of redoubts and defeating them in a field battle.

The Swedish king hoped to quickly capture Poltava, replenish supplies there and move to Moscow through Kharkov Belgorod. The heroic defense of Poltava, the unfulfilled hopes for Mazepa's help, the forcing of the Vistula by Russian troops, the approach of the Kalmyk detachment forced Charles XII to get involved in the battle near Poltava.

The Swedes expected that their infantry in the amount of 8 thousand people with 4 guns would suddenly and imperceptibly cross the plain in front of the redoubts at night and defeat the Russians in their fortified camp without significant losses. At the same time, the Swedish cavalry (8.8 thousand cavalrymen) was supposed to attack Menshikov's regiments bypassing the redoubts.

Charles XII encouraged the Swedish troops with the promise of booty from the capture of the Russian convoy, but the morale of the Swedes was prevented by the wounding of the king on 17.06 when inspecting his troops before the start of the battle. The duties of commander of the troops had to be transferred to Field Marshal Renskiold.

The course of the battle of Poltava

According to the plan of Charles XII, the battle began on June 27 at 2 am with the advance of infantry and cavalry. The Swedes, in addition to the infantry and cavalry thrown into the attack, 10 thousand people, including the Ukrainian Cossacks, and 28 guns, not provided with shells, remained in reserve.

Map of the Battle of Poltava (1):

At 3 o'clock the infantry of Charles XII continued to fight for the advanced lines of the Russian fortified camp, and the cavalry fought stubbornly with Menshikov's cavalry and pinned it to the redoubts.

At 5 o'clock in the morning, Menshikov went on the offensive, pushed the Swedes' cavalry back to the forest, and then, in accordance with the battle plan, returned behind the redoubts. The Swedish infantry, under the devastating fire of the Russian artillery, managed to capture only 2 redoubts.

At 6 o'clock the Swedish cavalry again went on the attack, but its right flank suffered heavy losses from weapons and artillery fire and retreated to the forest. The exposed flank of the Swedish infantry also retreated to the forest, where it was overtaken and destroyed by Russian cavalrymen. Thus, the sudden advance of the Swedes did not bring them a quick victory.

The Russian and Swedish armies began preparations for the general battle. Russian troops settled down in front of the fortified camps, placing General Bruce's artillery in front, Menshikov's and Bour's cavalry on the flanks, and Sheremetyev's infantry in the center. Swedish troops were also lined up in battle columns. 9 infantry battalions remained in reserve on the redoubts, and a detachment of cavalry and infantry was sent to help the garrison of the fortress to prevent its capture and block the retreat of the Swedes.

At 9 o'clock the Swedes went on the attack again. Despite the fire of the guns, they overcame the space between the troops, and hand-to-hand combat began, during which the Russians began to retreat. Peter I prevented the retreat by personally leading the Russians in a counterattack. The advancing infantry from the flanks was supported by the cavalry, which forced the Swedes to retreat.

At 11 o'clock, the Swedish troops fled in panic along the entire front, suffering huge losses. For the first time during the Northern War, the troops of Charles XII were completely defeated.

Results and historical significance of the Battle of Poltava

As a result of the defeat at Poltava, Charles XII and Mazepa were forced to flee to Moldavia, controlled by Turkey. 3 days after the start of the battle (June 30), General Lewenhaupt was forced to sign an act of surrender.

9234 Swedish soldiers and officers died during the Battle of Poltava, while the losses of the Swedes significantly exceeded the losses of the Russians, in which 1345 people were killed. and wounded 3290 people.

2874 Swedes were taken prisoner, including the commander-in-chief in the Battle of Poltava, Field Marshal Renskiöld, other generals, the first state minister Piper. Among the trophies, the Russians captured 32 guns, a convoy, 14 banners and standards, weapons, some of which are still on display in the Armory in Moscow.

The Battle of Poltava turned the course of the Northern War in favor of the Russians. Sweden has lost the status of the main military force in Europe, and Russia has acquired the importance of a powerful power. True, some Swedish analysts believe that the defeat at Poltava was the trigger for the transformation of Sweden into a modern economically developed power with a high level of well-being of citizens, because. led to a reallocation of inflated military spending to other needs of the economy.

The defeat of the Swedes near Poltava led to the revival of the military alliance of Russia with Denmark and Saxony, and then with Poland, in which the protege of the Swedes S. Leshchinsky was overthrown and Russia's ally August II was returned.

In 1709-1710. Peter I sends troops to the Baltic states and ensures Russia's access to the Baltic Sea, occupying Courland, Riga, Vyborg, Pernov and Revel. Together with Augustus II, he ousts the Swedes from Finland to Pomerania.

Results of the Northern War

The Battle of Poltava turned the tide of the war, but did not lead to its end. Russia demanded the extradition of Charles XII from Turkey, and he, in turn, made efforts to clash Turkey with Russia and in 1710 achieved the desired result. This war ended in the unsuccessful Prut campaign in 1711 and the signing of peace on the terms of the transfer of Azov to the Turks, a guarantee of non-interference in Polish affairs, and the unhindered passage of Charles XII to Sweden.

Comparable in importance to the Battle of Poltava was the defeat by the Russian fleet in 1714 of the Swedish squadron in the Battle of Gangut. As a result of this victory, Russia took possession of the Gulf of Finland, from which the remnants of the Swedish fleet were driven out, part of Finland and the Swedish Aland Islands. Russia has become a world-renowned maritime power.

In 1715, Russia takes possession of Finland and is able to conquer Sweden, which causes fear among the countries of Europe. Russia is negotiating with Charles XII on the conclusion of a favorable peace, but the negotiations were interrupted by the death of the king. Therefore, in 1720, Peter I in a naval battle near one of the Aland Islands (Grengam) defeated the Swedish fleet for the second time, despite the fact that England was helping Sweden. This victory led to the resumption of peace negotiations.

The negotiations ended with the conclusion of a peace treaty in Nystadt in 1721, which provided for the cessation of all hostilities, the exchange of prisoners, the liberation by Russia of the Swedish part of Finland, the transfer of Estonia, Livonia, Ingermanland, part of Karelia, the Vyborg province, a number of islands of the Baltic Sea, Western Karelia and islands in the Gulf of Finland. Russia must pay Sweden 2 million thalers for the territories it has received.

This peace treaty allowed Peter I to de facto open a window to Europe and deploy a powerful fleet in the Baltic Sea.

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Poltava battle in 1709

The Battle of Poltava is one of the most important battles in Russian history. It took place in June 1709 and determined the outcome of the Northern War, which had been going on for twenty-one years.

During that period, hostilities developed in favor of Sweden. Its young, but very talented king, Charles the Twelfth, won one victory after another, and by 1708, Russia's allies, represented by Saxony and the Commonwealth, were withdrawn from the Northern War. Peter the Great understood that the end of the war would come after the decisive battle between Russia and Sweden. At the same time, Karl sought to end the war as soon as possible, and in the summer of 1708 he entered the territory of Russia.

The main reasons for the victory in the Battle of Poltava

Modern historians distinguish the following factors as the main reasons for the victory in the Battle of Poltava:

On September 28, 1708, a battle takes place near the village of Lesnoy, where the Swedes are defeated. Despite the insignificance of this battle at first glance, it turned out that thanks to Peter's victory, the Swedish army is now left without supplies and provisions, since the Russians blocked the ways to send them. In addition, before that, they destroyed the enemy convoy.
In the autumn (October), Hetman Mazepa turns to Charles the Twelfth, who swears allegiance to the crown with the Zaporizhzhya Cossacks. This was a rather advantageous position for Sweden, because it was the Cossacks who could resolve the issue of adjusting the provision of ammunition and food.

Reasons for the Battle of Poltava

However, the main reasons for the Battle of Poltava lie in the causes of the protracted Northern War, which exhausted all the countries participating in it and had to be resolved as soon as possible.

Swedish troops approached Poltava at the end of March 1709. Then the siege begins. The defensive garrison managed to hold back all enemy attacks. People hoped for the imminent arrival of Tsar Peter with an army. The ruler himself at this time is trying to replenish his army with new forces. He turns to the Turkish Sultan and the Crimean Khan for help. However, his arguments went unheeded and Peter, having gathered part of the Zaporizhzhya Cossacks commanded by Skoropadsky, went to the fortress besieged by the Swedes.

It is worth noting that the Poltava garrison numbered a little more than two thousand people, but for about three months it kept repelling enemy assaults. According to the estimates of contemporaries and historians, during this period more than twenty attacks were repulsed, and the Swedes lost about six thousand soldiers!

State of the troops

The Swedish army consisted of four guns and thirty-seven thousand people, and on the Russian side there were sixty thousand people (according to some sources, there were more - about eighty thousand) and one hundred and eleven guns.

The course of the Poltava battle:

On the twenty-sixth of June, an hour before midnight, Charles the Twelfth gives the order to wake up the army and build it to march into battle formation. At the same time, the Russian army had much more time, because the disunited Swedish army gathered only at two o'clock. Thus, Sweden lost the element of surprise in the attack.

Leaving the camp, the Swedes marched to the battlefield, but almost approaching, they met with a rebuff from Russian redoubts, lined up vertically and horizontally, relative to the location of the Russian army. In the early morning of the twenty-seventh of June, the assault on the redoubts and the Battle of Poltava begins.

After several successful Russian attacks, Peter the Great orders the troops to retreat to the main positions. The redoubts managed to fulfill the mission assigned to them - they exhausted the Swedish army before the actual start of the battle, and the main power of the Russian army remained full of strength.

After the repulse, the Swedes, in anticipation of their cavalry, took a wait-and-see position. But, by this time, General Ross was captured. And without waiting for help, the Swedish infantry lined up in battle formation and prepared for battle.

The Swedes began their offensive at nine in the morning. After artillery shelling, along with volley fire from small guns, their troops suffered huge losses. Already in the first minutes of the battle, Peter managed to destroy the enemy's formation and prevent him from forming a line of attack that was longer than Peter's army.

With a large number of people and a smaller gap between units, the Russians continued to advance, as a result of which gaps of more than a hundred meters formed in the Swedish army and they began to flee in panic from the battlefield. It happened at eleven o'clock. Thus, in just two hours, the army of Peter the Great was able to win and thus end one of the longest wars in Russian history.

Swedish casualties:

three thousand people were taken prisoner;
nine thousand people were killed.

Losses of the Russian side:

more than three thousand people wounded;
approximately one and a half thousand people were killed.

Only on the twenty-seventh of June in the evening did Peter the Great give the order to pursue the fleeing Swedish army. As a result of the pursuit, sixteen thousand infantry, thirteen thousand non-commissioned officers and three generals were taken prisoner. Charles the Twelfth managed to escape.

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